Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

[junglered]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:45pm

Has anyone ever seen a musical that you thought was lackluster, uninspiring or downright poor? I bet many of us have. Did any of those underwhelming shows have 1 great song in them that you really loved, despite the weakness of the overall musical?

For me, it is the song "Day by Day" which was a part of the musical "Godspell". I loved "Day by Day" and today it's a very well known song. Besides that one song, I personally found Godspell to be a pretty wretched musical.

What other outstanding songs from mediocre/bad musicals come to mind for you all?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:49pm

"He Touched Me" from "Drat! The Cat!"

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:50pm

I could swear we've had this discussion before...

Updated On: 5/16/04 at 09:50 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 11:52pm

"Another Suitcase in Another Hall", Evita

Well, not terrific. But something tolerable in a really annoying score. Updated On: 5/16/04 at 11:52 PM

[jezzebelle]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 11:59pm

Meadowlark in The Baker's Wife.

[billyweeds]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 12:06am

"Half the Battle" in "Ben Franklin in Paris."

[billyweeds]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 12:09am

"Step to the Rear" in "How Now Dow Jones."

Two songs in "Wildcat"--"Hey, Look Me Over," "Tall Hope."

[boborunstheshow]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 2:38am

Second Thoughts in "Is There Life After High School"

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 6:06am

Memory from Cats

[billyweeds]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 7:05am

Completely disagree about "Is There Life After High School?" being a lackluster musical. On the other hand, I consider it one of the unsung gems of the genre. Carnelia's score is chock full of little masterpieces, and the orignal cast was terrific, including now-perennial movie character man Ray Baker.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:39am

"Is There Life" is terrible. I've done the show. There's some spark in the monologues but the piece never becomes anything, it doesn't progress. Carnelia's songs are quaint melodies but they don't move anywhere or advance story or character. They're no more interesting than their titles.

Back on thread, 'I Won't Send Roses' is probably one of the best showtunes ever written in a show I couldn't sit through on a dare.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:50am

And if we have to pick a song in Is There Life After High School? as the terrific one, my vote would go to Diary Of A Homecoming Queen, which makes me cry every time I listen to it.

[CharityHope924]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 1:46pm

"Disneyland" is a great song stuck in the horrid beauty-contest musical, "Smile".

[Juliette Capulet]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 2:05pm

Two songs in 'Romeo and Juliet - the Musical'L: "Two Different Worlds" and "Empty Sky"

Tendres Baisers
Juliette Capulet

[dano]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 2:08pm

"It's a Fish" is a wonderful comic number from "The Apple Tree".
"The Sweetest Sounds" is a nice ballad from Rodgers' "No Strings".

... and I love just about every number in "Is There Life After High School"! I've seen a couple different productions of it. "The Kid Inside" and "Diary of a Homecoming Queen" really stand out.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 4:13pm

I'll state a few obvious ones

"50 percent" from Ballroom
"Mama, A Rainbow" from Minnie's Boys
"I Do not know a Day I did not Love You" from Two by Two (also partial to "The Golden Ram" from that show)
"If i Have to live alone" from Baker's Wife

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 4:22pm

Bari - nice choices. I happen to like "An Old Man" from Two-by-two. Its a beautiful song.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 7:52pm

"Once Upon A Time" from ALL AMERICAN. My favorite last call piano bar song.

But Dano! The whole APPLE TREE score is magic, especially by today's standards!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:17pm

I know we've done this before, but "Our Kind of Love" from THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:52pm

"Come With Me to Jail" from BOYS FROM SYRACUSE.

-d.b.j-

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 5/17/04 at 11:22pm

From LaChiusa's Wild Party, "People Like Us" always stood out to me. I kind of felt like he wrote every song to outdo the one before it but this one is the only one, for me, that actually accomplishes that.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/18/04 at 6:08am

To John Papa

I am surprised. I saw Mack & Mabel & enjoyed it. The score was maybe the best Herman ever wrote & should have won the Tony. Extremely listenable cast album

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 5/18/04 at 6:28am

'Age of the Cathedrals' from Notre Dame de Paris. It had quite a good overture, and then this song came along and I was thinking "This show could be really good". Then I was bored silly for the next two and a half hours.

[Karma76]

Posted: 5/18/04 at 8:55am

Not that it is a bad musical but i love the song, not many people outside broadway world radio have heard it.

Bring me to light - violet.

[dano]

Posted: 5/18/04 at 9:26am

Auggie -

You're right. That whole score is not bad, but "It's a Fish" really stands out for me.